People have the misconception that relationships are meant to work in their favor, when in reality, it’s a two-way street.

Being in a relationship means you are experiencing life with someone else. A relationship comes with a new set of responsibilities. Relationships are not built on good personality and looks, it is built and maintained through communication.

Do not get me wrong, many people believe relationships are difficult, and they are. They are difficult because they take up a lot of time, patience, and understanding of your partner when you guys come across a disagreement.

You and your partner should have a solid understanding of how you guys want the relationship to be, whether you are just friends with benefits, or if you are a serious couple who are monogamous for each other. If the type of relationship you are in is not talked about, there will be several problems down the line that could have been avoided early on.

In a Time magazine article called “The Key to Happy Relationships? It’s Not All About Communication,” Francine Russo states that “not surprisingly, those who reported communicating more effectively showed the highest satisfaction with their relationships. However the next two factors — which were also the only other ones with strong links to couple happiness — were knowledge of partner (which included everything from knowing their pizza-topping preferences to their hopes and dreams) and life skills (being able to hold a job, manage money, etc.)”

Since you are dating an individual who has a life of their own, being in a relationship with them does not mean either of you should sacrifice your individuality. If you feel that you should hold things back from your partner, and not take the time to consider whether it is something important to communicate, your relationship will be affected in a negative way.

Learning more about your partner may be difficult but communication is the only way to keep your relationship authentic. The only problem you can face is when someone is overly dramatic and can’t handle communicating.

Communication works best when both partners in the relationship allow each other to freely express their opinions. Putting in an effort to communicate with your partner not only satisfies both of you, but it also helps maintain the relationship that you’re in.